Friends of the victims stand outside as they survey the scene after a fourth-floor balcony collapsed

At least seven people were injured, with some in critical condition, after the tragedy at a building located two blocks from the University of California, Berkeley campus, local media and officials said.

Most of those involved were Irish students from University College Dublin, Ireland's largest university, on the J1 work-study visa program, which allows them to teach, study, conduct research and work legally during their stay in the United States.